Suk struggled desperately to escape, but his limbs were bound so tightly he couldn’t even twitch properly.

All he could do was squirm like a worm, inching backward in futility—until the wall behind him cut off any hope of retreat.

“Ugh… mmph… mmphhh…” He tried to beg for mercy, but the leather shoe stuffed in his mouth turned every word into a muffled, desperate whimper.

Tang Xiaoman’s figure and face were swallowed by the darkness, looming like a ghost. The sight alone was enough to make Suk’s eyes fill with tears.

Unfortunately for him, tears meant nothing to a heart of stone.

Tang Xiaoman switched on the electric baton and, without hurry or emotion, gave him a thorough “lesson” from head to toe.

Suk convulsed violently. His body jerked uncontrollably as he vomited, lost control of his bowels, and collapsed into a pathetic, trembling mess.

The shoe forced into his mouth distorted his jaw and blocked the vomit, nearly suffocating him on the spot.

Just as his eyes began to roll back and he was on the verge of blacking out, Tang Xiaoman finally showed a shred of mercy and pulled the shoe out.

Suk immediately retched violently, collapsing into the filth beneath him, so disgusted he almost fainted from the stench alone.

Tang Xiaoman only then put on a medical-grade N95 mask, barely keeping the nauseating odor at bay.

“Tan… Tang Xiaoman… you—y-you better let me go!” Suk tried to sound threatening, but after what he’d just endured, even his voice trembled.

He was in pain. He was terrified. His entire body shook like a leaf in a storm.

Tang Xiaoman looked at him, all bluster stripped away, and let out a cold laugh.

“Let you go? And what exactly are you going to do about it?”

Suk’s bravado shattered completely. Panic overtook him.

He quickly changed tactics, trying to appeal to family ties.

“Tang Xiaoman… we’re family! We share the same father! We’re siblings—you can’t do this to me…”

That only made her smile wider.

She giggled softly, almost amused.

“Family, huh? Yes… we are family. A very loving one. A family that eats its own.”

Suk’s blood ran cold.

When did she become like this?

This wasn’t the Tang Xiaoman he remembered.

The old her used to step back, compromise, always yielding like she was afraid of conflict.

That was why he liked bullying her. She never fought back. She always swallowed her anger. Even if she complained, their father never sided with her anyway—so he grew bolder and bolder.

Everything changed after that incident at Tianlai Manor, when he’d set dogs on her… only for her to turn the tables and strike back.

That moment had ignited something in him—a burning need for revenge.

He wanted to crush her. Break her. Force her back into that weak, obedient shell.

But now…

The woman standing in front of him felt like a completely different person.

Cold. Ruthless. Like something inhuman had taken her place.

“You’re not Tang Xiaoman!” Suk suddenly blurted out, trying to crawl backward in terror.

But there was nowhere to go.

His limbs were bound, and he was stuck in his own filth. Every movement was a struggle.

“You’ve been possessed!” he cried, voice cracking with desperation.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

If she was really this terrifying… she couldn’t be human anymore.

If he’d known she’d been “taken over,” he never would’ve walked into this trap.

But regret came too late.

“You idiot,” Tang Xiaoman said flatly. “People like you are just a waste of air and food.”

Her killing intent surged.

She raised her leg and kicked.

Suk’s body flew like a ragdoll, hurled straight out of the open window.

He tumbled into the endless floodwaters below.

A small splash.

Then nothing.

No trace left behind.

*

After dealing with Suk, Tang Xiaoman calmly checked her spoils in the space.

One helicopter. Three pistols. Two AK rifles. Six magazines. A hundred rounds of ammunition.

As the saying went—poor students always have the most stationery. Suk was the perfect example.

Satisfied, she glanced at the time and headed back out, taking a speedboat toward Tianlai Manor.

On the way, she casually checked her phone.

As expected, messages from Lin Jingming, Zhou Yichen, and even 01 were waiting for her—each one asking when she was coming back.

Feeling mischievous, she sent a group reply:

“I’m on my way. Clean yourselves up and wait for me~”

Then she turned the phone off.

Silence returned.

*

As usual, Lin Jingming waited at the entrance for her return.

But when Tang Xiaoman got out of the vehicle, she noticed something odd.

He avoided her gaze. His usually fair, refined face carried a faint blush.

Only then did she remember the joke she’d casually sent earlier.

She coughed lightly. “I brought back some rare supplies tonight and got a little carried away. Don’t take it seriously.”

Lin Jingming visibly relaxed—but still looked like he wanted to say something.

In the end, he only murmured, “It’s late. You should rest.”

Then he turned and walked into the villa almost stiffly, his movements slightly unnatural.

Tang Xiaoman: “……”

Yeah. That joke might’ve gone too far.

If his wife were still around, she never would’ve said something like that.

It was only because he was single that she’d let her guard down and teased him.

But he was a proper, serious man—he couldn’t handle that kind of nonsense.

She made a mental note to be more careful next time.

*

Next, she knocked on Zhou Yichen’s door.

It took a long moment before it finally opened.

Before she could even step in, Zhou Yichen walked out first and closed the door behind him with a firm *click*.

He stood in the hallway instead of letting her enter.

Fully dressed, collar buttoned all the way up, posture rigid. Even his dark eyes had lost their usual calm, now sharp and alert.

“If there’s anything, say it here,” he said.

Tang Xiaoman: “……”

Yep. She’d scared him too.

“Your room or mine?” she asked casually.

Zhou Yichen studied her for a moment, then silently reopened his door.

She walked in like she owned the place.

Behind them, several doors along the second floor quietly cracked open.

Pairs of curious eyes peeked through the gaps, watching the situation unfold.

Zhou Yichen glanced back once, his expression darkening.

Then he stepped inside and closed the door.

The moment it shut, the others immediately pushed their doors open wider.

All of them were still full of energy after the mission, completely wired on curiosity.

“Did Tang just go into the team leader’s room…? Is that what I think it is?”

“No wonder she gave him a separate room…”

“Isn’t it just because he’s the strongest?”

Whispers spread like wildfire.

Inside the room, Zhou Yichen stood facing her.

Tang Xiaoman didn’t bother with small talk.

“Can you fly a helicopter?”

He paused. “Yes.”

No hesitation.

She smiled. “I knew it. You’re basically a walking encyclopedia.”

Then she added, almost cheerfully:

“I picked up a helicopter tonight. Help me shut it down and secure it.”